Buckles and attachments for belts



y 24, 1956 J. MEZERENYI ETAL 3,252,191

BUCKLES AND ATTACHMENTS FOR BELTS Filed July 9, 1962 H6 H6 no [12. no

4; Z Ire H6 100 5a a we 0 I Flgll F1813 46 126 5a 118x24- we FlgI' Fig :10 igfl BYW INVENTOR.

I with material.

United States Patent BUCKLES AND ATTACHMENTS FOR BELTS Jenoe Mezerenyi and Elena C. Mezerenyi, both of 1658 N. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, Calif. .91103 Filed July 9, 1962, Ser. No. 208,459 3 Claims. (Cl. 24-77) A belt employed with our attachment device is adjustable in the buckle, and after the adjusting, the closing and the opening of the belt occurs with a hooking action.

Furthermore, our attachment device eliminates the use of the prong of a buckle and of the eyelets on the belt,

which the conventional buckles generally use for adjusting the belt.

These will be more readily understood by reference to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional buckle with a cross bar, but without a prong. Our device is able to convert this prongless buckle type into a friction type hooking buckle.

' FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an insertable device for the buckle in FIG. 1. The belt with this device becomes an adjustable hooking belt that does not need eyelets or prong.

FIG. 3 is the cross sectional view showing the device of FIG. 2 used on a conventional buckle (as in FIG. 1).

In FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another insertable device for the conventional buckle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a back view of a conventional buckle (FIG. 1) with the FIG. 4 insertable device in place.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of a conventional divider type buckle with the insertable device (in FIG. 4) and belt in place.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the insertable device of the FIG. 8 fabric covered buckle.

FIG. 8 is a back view of a buckle that can be covered Its insertable device (in FIG. 7) is fixed to the buckle and it converts the buckle into a slit type hooking buckle which is capable of holding the adjusted belt by friction.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of FIG. 8 showing how the inner frame of the buckle holds the insertable device in place.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of FIG- URE 8 showing the insertable device in position.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the common inside frame of a fabric covered buckle (FIG. 8) which can hold the insertable device (of FIG. 7) to the outside part of the buckle as pictured in FIG. 8.

All these insertable devices convert the buckle or buckle frame into an adjustable hooking buckle and they are built with the same basic following principle.

The attachment (insertable device) is inserted and fixed within the buckle. The endings of the attachment, in conjunction with the buckle frame, form slits 100 (FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 8) which are able to hold the belt 46, FIGS. 6, 10, by friction in the adjusted place. Between the ends of the attachment is a hooking device, which is hooked to the other belt end or to a gripping member of the other belt end.

In FIG. 1 a prongless conventional buckle is shown, which has a frame comprising a pair of side bars, a pair of end bars 116 connecting said side bars and a cross bar 118 intermediate said end bars and connecting said side bars. The side and end bars and the cross bar bound the openings 120 of the buckle.

The insertable device in FIG. 2 can be used in several ways as an insertable attachment together with the conventional buckle (in FIG. 1) either alone, like a friction type hooking buckle, or joined with other decorative buckles.

3,252,191 Patented May 24, 1966 It comprises a plate, which lies generally in a single plane, and intermediate the ends and aboutthe middle section of the plate are the longer extensions 112 and the shorter extensions 113 adapted to attach the device evenly to the cross bar 118 of a prongless common buckle in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 by bending of the extension 112 over the cross bar 118 of the buckle, as shown in FIG. 3. The

insertable device has slits for the 'belt; and it is provide-d with flanges extending upwardly from said plate and adapted to be located between the end bars 116 of said common prongless buckle frame in FIG. 1 and in' cross section in FIG. 3. The long edges of the slits and the edges of the bent-out flanges 110 are plain or they maybe cogged for better holding. The depth of the slits and the thickness of the buckle are attained from the height of the bent-out flanges 101, 102. The plate of the insertable device in FIG. 2 is provided with a place for hooking between the slits 100' or with a hook 58 having its free end located below said plate and said flanges 11$).

The flanges 110 have their outer surfaces separated from each other by a distance which is slightly less than the distance between the inside faces of the end bars of the prongless buckle frame 116 in FIGS. 1, 3. 1

If the insertable device is used together with a prongless conventional buckle in FIG. 3, the belt end is. in-

' serted into one of the slots 100 of the device, passes between one of the end bars 116 of the buckle and the adjacent flange 110 of the :plate, over said flange and cross bar 118 of the buckle and over the other flange of the plate and between the other end bar and adjacent flange and through the other slot 100 of the attachment, the belt end being sharply bent, so as to be held by friction between said buckle and said device, and being adapted to exert a pull in a direction opposite to the direction of pull on a means which is attached to another belt end and said hooking device. The working system of the device is illustrated by the next similar insertable device in FIG- URES 6, 10, which show the belt 46 in inserted position between the end bars 116 of the buckle frame and between the adjacent flanges 110 of the insertable device. So the working buckle on the belt is our invention in FIG. 2 covered from the outside with conventional buckle FIGS. 1, 3.

The above described insertable device can be used alone too without the conventional buckle in FIG. 1 as a simple friction type hooking buckle. In that case the plate will be manufactured without the extensions 112, 113, and without the holes 114. This buckle can be designed in any fashionable shape and then be used in the natural color, painted, or covered with plastic or any other material.

The device can also be used as a base to which decorating material may be pasted or fastened by using the holes 114. The decorating material should be attached to the device in such a way that it will not disturb the working system of the buckle.

In FIG. 4 the insertable device comprises a plate which lies generally in a single plane and is provided with a middle portion 122 which extends outwardly from said plane and is formed as a hollow member having an upper and side walls, the opening thereof being directed toward said plane, the plate being provided with projections 124 extending downwardly from said plane. The hollow member of the said insertable device is adapted to receive the cross bar 118 of a prongless conventional buckle in FIG. 1. And said projection 124 is adapted to be bent about said cross bar 118 of the buckle, but the device may also be held in place by the middle portion of the plate, but without the projections 124 because (see FIG. 6) the hollow member 122 of the device is held between the cross bar 118 of the buckle and between portions of the adjusted belt 46 in FIG. 6. The projections 124 provide only an easier usageof the device, because these projections fix the attachment to the buckle in a similar manner to the prong in a conventional buckle.

Between the hollow member and one end of the device the plate is provided with ears 126 for a better support of the attachment. They extend outwardly and oppositely from the plate, with their principal portion lying in planes adjacent to the plane of said plate and being adapted to lie on the side bars of the buckle (FIG. 5).

The device of FIG. 4 is provided with a hook 58 having its free end located below said plate and located between one of said flanges 110 of the plate and said hollow member 122- Instead of the hook, the attachment may have some other device for hooking one belt end to the other belt end or to the gripping member of the other belt end.

On the opposite ends of the insertable device are located the flanges 110, bent out from the plate, and with plane or cogged edges 101 and extending outwardly. The flanges, together with the inside faces of the end bars of the buckle frame, provide deep narrow slits 1th) of the buckle (FIG. 5) because the flanges having their outer surfaces separated from each other by a distance which is slightly less than the inside distance between the end bars 116 of the buckle and of such a width that the belt end may be passed between one of said bars and the adjacent flange 110, over said hollow member 122, and between the other of said end bars and the adjacent flanges (FIG, 6). The height of the flanges 101, 102 (in FIG 4) provides the necessary thickness of the buckle for bolding the belt and for a good look. The corner edges of the end bars 116 of the buckle and the edges of the bent out flanges 110 force the belt into sharp bends, so as to be held by friction'between the buckle and said insertable device and being adapted to exert a pull in a direction opposite to the direction of pull on a means which is attached to another belt end and said hooking device.

In the Working of the attachment it makes no difference if the hook is pressed out from the material of the attachment (as it is shown in the drawing FIG. 4) or if a hook, or a substitute for the hook is fixed to the attachment.

In FIG. 5 is shown the back view of a conventional buckle with the device asit converts the buckle in FIG. 1 into a friction type hooking buckle by means of slits 100 and the hook 58.

FIG. 6 shows the insertable device and the buckle in cross section with the device and buckle fixed to the free belt end which is adjusted in the buckle.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of another insertable device which can be inserted into a material-covered buckle base (FIG. 8). This type of buckle comprises substantially a continuous hollow frame-like structure and it consists of an outer and an inner buckle element which are nested in each other. The outer element looks from the outside like the buckle in FIG. 1 and the nested inner buckle element is shown from the back side (the Side of the human body) in FIG. 11.

The hollow frame-like structure of the buckle and how the outer and inner buckle elements are nested in each other are shown in cross section in FIGS. 9, 10.

The plate 121 of the insertable device in FIG. 7 also has the flanges 11 with plane or cogged edges, and these flanges have their height from the rear edges 101 to the corners 102 to provide the depth of the slits. The distance between the outer surfaces of the flanges is slightly less than the inside distance of the end bars of the outer buckle element 134 in FIG. 10. This is for holding the belt in the adjusted place by friction. This attachment also has a hook 58 or some other device for clasping and a pair of small upwardly directed projections 128 at each of the opposite sides of the plate which go on either side of the hollow cross bar 118' of the outside buckle element to prevent slippage of the attachment. The device is provided with a pair of other upwardly 4. directed propections 130 at opposite sides of the plate and adjacent to each end thereof to hold the attachment to the buckle when the edges of the inside buckle element in FIG. 11 tighten the projections 130 of the attachment to the outside buckle element.

FIG. 8 shows a back view of a nested type bucklewith the attachment in FIG. 7 in place within the buckle. The buckle, with this attachment, has deep narrow slits 10%, for adjusting the belt. It has a hook 58, or some other device for clasping the belt, The inner buckle element 132 holds the attachment firmly in place and is also shown in its assembled position.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the buckle shown in FIG. 8. This shows the inside edge 136 of the inside buckle element 132 holding the ears 130 of the insertable device to the outside buckle element 134.

FIGURE 10 is a lengthwise, cross sectional view of the buckle, with the attachment in FIGURE 7 fixed between the outside element 134 and the inside frame 132 of the buckle. It also shows a portion of the free belt end 46 within the buckle, in its adjusted place. The above described material-covered buckle works with the device in FIG. 7 in a similar way (with friction adjustability and hooking ability) as'was described for the insertable device and buckle in FIGS. 4 to 6.

While we have described our invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is understood that numerous changes and arrangements of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope the invention as hereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. An insertable device adapted to be attached to a prongless buckle which has a frame comprising a pair of side bars, a pair of end bars connecting said side bars, and a cross bar intermediate said end bars and connecting said side bars, said device comprising a plate which lies generally in a single plane and is provided with means extending from said plate, located intermediate the ends thereof, and adapted to be attached to said cross bar of said frame, and provided further with attaching flanges extending upwardly from said plate and adapted to be located between said end bars of said frame, said plate being provided with a hook having its free end located below said plate and located between said flanges, said attaching means being adapted to be attached to said cross bar by bending a portion of said attaching means about said cross bar, and said flanges having their outer surfaces separated from each other by a distance slightly less than the least distance between the inside surfaces of said side bars, and of such amount that a belt end may be passed between one of said end bars and the adjacent flange, over said cross bar and between the other of said end bars and the adjacent flange, said belt end being sharply bent, so as to be held by friction between said buckle and said device, and being adapted to exert a pull in a direction opposite to the direction of pull on a means which is attached to another belt end and said hook.

2. An insertable device adapted to be attached to a prongless buckle having a frame comprising a pair of side bars, a pair of end bars connecting said side bars, and a cross bar intermediate said end bars and connecting said side bars, said device comprising a plate which lies generally in a single plane and is provided with a middle portion which extends upwardly from said plane and is formed a a hollow member having an upper and side walls, the open side thereof being directed toward said plane, said plate being provided with projections extending downwardly from said plane, said hollow member being adapted to receive said cross bar, and said projections being adapted to be bent about said cross bar, ears extending outwardly and oppositely from said plate, with their principal portions lying in planes adjacent the plane of said plate and being adapted to lie on said side bars, flanges extending upwardly from the opposite ends of said plate and being adapted to lie between said side bars and between and adjacent said end bars, said plate being provided with a hook having its free end located below said plate and located between one of said flanges and said hollow member, said device being adapted to be attached to said cross bar by placing said hollow member over said cross bar so that said middle portion is supported by said cross bar, and said ears lie on said side bars, said flanges having their outer surfaces separated from each other by a distance which is slightly less than the inside distance between said end bars and of such an amount that a belt end may be passed between one of said end bars and the adjacent flange, over said hollow member, and between the other of said end bars and the adjacent flange, the belt being sharply bent so as to be held by friction between said buckle and said device, and being adapted to exert a pull in a direction opposite to the direction of pull on a means which is attached to another belt end and said hook,

3. An insertable device adapted to be attached to prongless buckle having a frame comprising a pair of inner and outer nested buckle elements, said outer element comprising a pair of side members and a pair of end members connecting said side members, the side and end members of said outer element being shaped so as to form a substantially continuous hollow frame-like structure having outer edges lying in a single plane and inner edges lying in a single plane, said inner edges being connected at points between the ends by a cross bar, so as to form two openings in said outer element, said inner nested element comprising a pair of side members and a pair of end members connected together so as to form a single opening in said inner element, the side and end members of said inner element fitting closely within aid hollow frame like structure so as to clamp the edges of a fabric covering which is laid over said outer buckle element and is held between the end and side members of said buckle elements, said end members thus forming the end bars of said frame, the side members of said inner and outer buckle elements being provided, at portions bounding said openings, with spaced depressions which form slots through said nested buckle elements, said device further comprising a plate which lies generally in a single plane and is provided with a pair of upwardly directed projections at opposite sides of the plate and adjacent the ends thereof, and with a pair of other upwardly directed projections at each of the opposite sides of the plate and between the pairs of the first-mentioned projections, and provided further with attaching flanges extending upwardly from said plate and adapted to be located between said end bars of said frame, said plate being provided with a hook having its free endlocated below said plate and located between said flanges, said device being adapted to be attached to said cross bar by inserting said first-mentioned upwardly directed projections in said slots and said second-mentioned projections against said cross bar, said flanges having their outer surfaces separated from each other by a distance slightly less than the least distance between the inside surfaces of said bars, and of such amount that a belt end may be passed between one of said end bars and the adjacent flange, over said cross bar and between the other of said end bars and its adjacent flange, said belt end being sharply bent so as to be held by friction between said buckle and said device, and being adapted to exert a pull in a direction opposite to the direction of pull on a means which is attached to another belt end and said hook.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 594,271 11/ 1897 Nicholson 24-75 606,107 6/1898 Winter 2475 701,091 5/1902 Sanders 2475 939,394 11/1909 Cohen 24168 1,142,842 6/ 1915 Rehm 2477 1,273,340 7/ 1918 Eklund 24163 1,392,776 10/ 1921 Lindquist et a1 24245 1,792,304 2/1931 Hood 24--225 2,123,773 7/ 1938 Eppink 24163 2,363,322 11/ 1944 Headon 24245 FOREIGN PATENTS 443,824 7/ 1912 France. 762,911 12/ 1956 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Examiner. 

1. AN INSERTABLE DEVICE ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO A PRONGLESS BUCKLE WHICH HAS A FRAME COMPRISING A PAIR OF SIDE BARS, A PAIR OF END BARS CONNECTING SAID SIDE BARS, AND A CROSS BAR INTERMEDIATED SAID END BARS AND CONNECTING SAID SIDE BARS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A PLATE WHICH LIES GENERALLY IN A SINGLE PLANE AND IS PROVIDED WITH MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID PLATE, LOCATED INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, AND ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO SAID CROSS BAR OF SAID FRAME, AND PROVIDED FURTHER WITH ATTACHING FLANGES EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID PLATE AND ADAPTED TO BE LOCATED BETWEEN SAID END BARS OF SAID FRAME, SAID PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH A HOOK HAVING ITS FREE END LOCATED BELOW SAID PLATE AND LOCATED BETWEEN SAID FLANGES SAID ATTACHING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED MEANS CROSS BAR BY BENDING A PORTION OF SAID ATTACHING MEANS ABOUT SAID CROSS BAR, AND SAID FLANGES HAVING THEIR OUTER SURFACES SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE LEAST DISTANCE BETWEEN THE INSIDE SURFACES OF SAID SIDE BARS, AND OF SUCH AMOUNT THAT A BELT END MAY BE PASSED BETWEEN ONE OF SAID END BARS AND THE ADJACENT FLANGE, OVER SAID CROSS BAR AND BETWEEN THE OTHER OF SAID END BARS AND THE ADJACENT FLANGE, SAID BELT END BEING SHARPLY BENT, SO AS TO BE HELD BY FRICTION BETWEEN SAID BUCKLE AND SAID DEVICE, AND BEING ADAPTED TO EXERT A PULL IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF PULL ON A MEANS WHICH IS ATTACHED TO ANOTHER BELT END AND SAID HOOK. 